Paul Williams, president of Historic Congressional Cemetery, said he thought of the idea when he read about the goats being used at a site in Baltimore.

“Having the goats was really an economical decision plus an ecological decision,” Williams said. “They cost about half as much as it would to have a team come in here with chemicals.”

The team of more than 60 goats ran a tab of $4,000 or, Williams jokes, “only about 25 cents per goat, per hour.”

The goats ate almost everything that was green in the 1.6-acre area. A visible line along the trees shows where the goats could no longer reach.

“Basically from about 6.5-7 feet should be just stems,” said Brian Knox, supervising forester for Eco-Goats.

This is the first time goats have been used inside Washington, D.C., and Knox says he has been in talks with other locations in the District in need of goat cleanup.

“We will definitely be back at some point,” Knox said. “We know how to jump through the hoops now so it should be easier.”

Puglisi said it has been a great thing for the cemetery, bringing a lot of visitors from their dog-walker regulars to children from summer camps out to see the goats.

Next week the cemetery has volunteers coming to cut away the branches and stems that are now more easily accessible thanks to the goats. As for the newly cleaned area, the cemetery has no immediate plans.

“The plan right now is just to keep it maintained,” Puglisi said. “They’ve been a pleasure to have on site.”